Clothes rack or stand



Nov. 5, 1946.

E. A. BECKER CLOTHES RACK OR STAND Filed Mar ch 26 1945 Patented Nov. 5, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT QIFFICE CLOTHES RACK OR STAND Earl A. Becker, Topeka, Kans.

Application March 26, 1945', Serial No. 584,773

Claims. 1

This invention relates to racks or stands for clothing, .and more especially to an appliance whereon trousers may be fitted and stretched smoothly for display purposes, and, if applied in dampened condition, may be sharply creased, front and rear, from the waist band to the lower or free ends of the legs, and retain such creased condition for a satisfactory period, when put to conventional use or service.

My object is to produce an appliance of the character indicated, for use with trousers of any size, and which is provided with ground legs for holding it in upright position for convenience in the fitting and adjustment of trousers thereon, and in their removal.

More specifically, my object is to provide an appliance consisting of a pair of vertically-elongated frames of skeleton form, disposed in substantially parallel relation, side by side, one frame for fitting in each leg of the garment for stretching, smoothing and creasing the same from top to bottom; the frames being independently expansible and contractible in width at top or bottom or both, to accommodate them to the size, cut or style of the legs and seat and waist portions of the garment.

Another object is to provide means for preventing a stretched dampened garment when drying from shrinking or slipping and leaving the garment when dry in more or less wrinkled condition.

Astill further object is to produce an appliance upon which a garment can be accurately applied easily and quickly, and which is of strong, durable and inexpensive construction.

With the objects mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a clothes rack or stand embodying the invention, with trousers stretched thereon in smooth and creased condition for their full length. 7

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the top portion of the appliance.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view inside elevation of the lower part of the appliance.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line V -V of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one .of the waistband clamps.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein like reference characters identify similar parts in all of the views, it will be noted that there the garment leg receiving one of said frames determines the adjustment for stretching the leg flatly by applying pressure upon the leg in opposite directions, as indicated by Figure 1.

The toggle links 3 for each frame, are frictionally pivoted together by securing between them plastic disk 4 or other friction producing means necessitating the application of considerable force by an operator to expand or contract the toggle, that is a force too great to be overcome for example, by that exerted by the garment in drying through its tendency to shrink or contract after being stretched in dampened condition, on the appliance, it being noted that the two toggles are independently adjustable.

The members I and 2 of each frame are preferably of thin narrow resilient metal or its equivalent, and are pivotally connected to opposite ends of the respective linkage. The members are substantially straight from their toggle-connected ends downward for about two-thirds, more or less, of their length, the lower portions being bowed outwardly relatively to widen the space between them for accommodating the contour of the body portion of the garment.

The lower end of each member 2 curves downwardly and forwardly and the lower end of each member I, terminates in a rearwardly-prolecting arm 6, describing an inverted arc struck from the pivotal connection 5 with its respective toggle link, the arm crossing or intersecting the downwardly and forwardly sloping portion 1 of member 2, and below the arms of member I, the arms 1 are riveted together as at 1a, and from said point diverge downward and laterally and form a pair of front supporting legs 8. The members 2 are also joined together above the arms 6, by a rivet 9, which also secures tightly to members 2, the upper ends of a pair of rear legs ll], fitting flatly together through the space between arms 6, and from a point below the latter, diverge downwardly and laterally to cooperate with the front legs in providing a stable support for the appliance in upright position,

It will be noted here that the two members I, are free for independent back and forth swinging movement to narrow or widen the space between same and their related members 2, and that the latter, although pivoted to their respective toggle links, have no swingable adjustment when the appliance is resting on a floor. The arms 6, which fit slidingly across and flatly against the outer sides of arms I, are held in such relation by extending through guide clips ll, riveted to arms 2, and as the arms 6 extend in a curve concentric to pivots and cannot move upward or downward relative to the clips, the pivots 5, after being adjusted through manipulation of the respective toggles in the garment stretching operation, are incapable of up or down movement, and such relation of the pivots is not disturbed by the swinging adjustment of members I, necessary to conform the appliance to the width and cut or style of the thigh, seat and waist portions of the arment. Because of the fact that pivots 5 retain their adjusted positions, no diagonal pull or strain is imposed on the respective leg or body portions of the garment in the swingable adjustment of members I in a direction away from members 2, in the stretching action and no wrinkles are formed in the garment at any point, but th entire area presents a smooth and attractive appearance, as indicated by Figure 1.

To secure each member I at the desired point o'fradjustment, clamp screws l2 are mounted in the clips H and engage the members. Each of said members i equipped with a pivoted clamp l3v of U-shape in cross section, receiving the waist band at th front side of the trousers, and clinchingit around and against the front edge of the member; each clamp having a pocket l4 containing a coil spring l5 bearing at opposite ends against the bottom of the pocket and the front edge of the related member I.

In operation, the appliance is adjusted to a width to permit dampened trousers, in inverted position, to be easily slipped down, on frame in each leg, until the toggles are exposed and the waist band is below the level of the widest portion of the space between members I and 2. The operator may then open the clamps by pivotal operation thereof, to receive the waist band, the

springs l5 reclosing said clamps to retain the garment from slipping or working upward. The operator then swings members I forward by applying pressure on the rear ends of arms 8 to take up the slack or looseness of the body portion of the garment and the waist portion, the latter of course being first buttoned or otherwis secured at the opening. The toggle for one frame is then expanded and the related member l, swung for ward until the frame has been. conformed to the width and shape or cut of the leg. If desired or necessary, further adjustment may then follow for efiecting the full or final stretching and creasing operation for the full length of the garment. lowed for the other leg, it being understood that th particular order set forth for the adjustments are not essental though, all are necessary to effect a complete smoothing of the garment without leaving wrinkles therein.

Whenthe garment is fully stretched, the clamp screws :2 are operated to guard against reverse swinging movements of the members I, as the same are subjected to force applied by the gar- 'ment in its tendency to shrink in drying. When the garmentis thoroughly dry it is released from The adjustments described may be fol- 4 clamps 13, the clamp screws I2 withdrawn and the toggles contracted, and the garment withdrawn by slipping it upward from the appliance.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a clothes rack or stand embodying the features of advantage set forth as objectives, and while I have illustrated my preferred form of the appliance, it is to be understood that it is susceptible of modification withinthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clothes rack or stand for trousers and the like, comprising a pair of substantially-parallel vertically-elongated U-frames, each of sectional construction and independently expansible and contractible in width at top and bottom, corresponding members of the two frames having legs for supporting the appliance in upright position, the other members of said frames being pivoted at their upper ends and swingable toward and from their respective related members and provided at their lower ends with arms extending crosswise of and slidably supported by the legequipped members; the members of each frame being reversely bowed outward near their lower ends, and means for securing the swingable member of each frame in rigid relation to the other member of such frame.

2. A clothes rack or stand for trousers and the like, comprising a pair of substantially-parallel vertically-elongated U-frames of sectional construction, a linkage pivotally connecting the upper ends of the members of each frame and expansible and contractible, the lower portions of the members of each frame extending crosswise of each other, the crossing portion of corresponding members of each frame being slidably supported by th other member of the same frame and extending concentrically of the pivotal connections of such members with the said linkage; the other member of each frame below the crossing point having legs for supportin the rack or stand substantially upright, and means for securing the crossing portions of each frame in rigid relation to each other.

3. A clothes rack or stand for trousers and the like, comprising a pair of substantially-parallel vertically-elongated U-frames of sectional construction, including a linkage for the upper ends of each frame consisting of two toggle arms frictionally pivoted together and capable of expansion and contraction to vary the width of the respective frames at the top, th lower portions of the sections or members of said frames being bowed reversely outward and terminating in arms extending crosswise of each other; the crossing portion of one member of each frame extending concentrically of the pivotal point of connection of said member with the front end of the respective linkage, and the other member of each frame having legs for supporting the rack or standin substantially upright position, means for rigidly securing together the crossing portions of each frame, and a spring-actuated clamp mounted upon each frame adjacent but below a bowed portion thereof. V

e. A clothes rack or stand for trousers and the like, comprising afpair of substantially-parallel vertically-elongated U -frames of sectional construction, including a linkage for the upper ends of each frame consisting of two toggle arms frictionally pivoted together and capable of expansion and contraction to vary the width of the respective frames at the top,-the lower portions of the sections or members of said frames being bowed reversely outward and terminating in arms extending crosswise of each other; the crossing portion of one member of each frame extending concentrically of the pivotal point of connection of said member with the front end of the respective linkage, and the other member of each frame having legs for supporting the rack substantially upright, a spring-actuated clamp mounted upon one member of each frame adjacent but below the plane of the bowed portion of such member, and guide clip-s secured to the legequipped portions of the frames and receiving the crossing portions of the other members of said frames and permitting only endwise movement thereof.

5. In a clothes rack or stand, a pair of U- shaped sectional frames expansible and contractible in width at their lower ends, an expansive and contractive' connection for each frame at the top, corresponding members of each frame being pivoted at their upper ends to the front ends of the respective expansive and eontractive connection, the other members of said frames having arms equipped with supporting legs, the members pivoted at their upper ends, having arms crossing and fitting flatly against the arms of the legequipped members, means for securing the crossed arms rigidly together at the desired point of adjustment, and spring-actuated clamps pivoted on one member of each frame.

EARL A. BECKER. 

